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Alaskans are joining thousands of people across the country making calls to Congress to show their support for health care reform.

But a local survey shows how one reform proposal doesn't have the support of some private physicians here in Anchorage. The survey shows that private physicians will actually lose money if one of the bills on the table passes. A local family practice physician says she lost $47,000 just last year for seeing Medicare and Medicaid patients. Another physician says he's worried for his future and his peers.

After 15 years working as a physician at his private practice, Dr. Jerome List says his practice now is being pushed into a tight spot."We are providing services that don't cover our overhead costs," List said. He's talking about services to Medicare and Medicaid patients, and he isn't the only doctor who is moving towards the red. Farr says she charges $115 for each doctor's visit. Medicare pays her $40 and she gets paid $7 by a secondary insurance company. She's left to pick up the 60 dollar difference. "I have to see lots of people who are insurance paying patients or private paid patients to be able make up for the losses that I incur with both Medicare and Medicaid," Farr says. That's why she's against House Bill 3200, one of the versions of health care reform before congress. It proposes Medicare reimbursement rates for everyone. Farr conducted a survey of about 100 local doctors and found that many won't be able to make up the difference.

A director for a group that supports health care reform says it shouldn't be about any particular bill, but about the idea of health care reform. "It's important to remember that H.R. 3200 is only one of three bills from the House and it's joining now two other bills that have come from the Senate side of things," said Jonathan Teeters, the Alaska director for Organizing for America. The Senate Finance Committee passed the last of the five reform bills in Congress last week. Teeters says it's about time something is done to address the issue. "There's so many people who either are under-insured or don't have any insurance or lose their insurance when they lose their job, we just can't wait any longer, so we want to send a clear message to all of our members in Congress," Teeters said. Local doctors say it's not about whether health care should be reformed, but how. And they say they're not happy with what's on the table. Teeters says that's the reason Alaskans should speak up to make sure their voice is heard. Organizing for America, a group that supports health care reform, held a "Time to Deliver" event Tuesday night as part of a nationwide effort and encouraged Alaskans to call their local Congressmen to voice their opinions. The director of Organizing for America said the group's initial goal was to make 100,000 calls Tuesday nationwide, but at last check, volunteers had already made about 231,000 phone calls and were shooting for a goal of a quarter million.

Source: KTUU.com

You can discuss more about Healthcare Reform and related topics in our Healthcare Reform Group.